JLR’s used batteries for UK’s biggest solar energy storage system

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has partnered with Wykes Engineering Ltd., a specialist in renewable energy, to develop one of the biggest energy storage systems in the UK to harness solar and wind power using second-life Jaguar I-PACE batteries. One single Wykes Engineering BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) can store up to 2,5 MWh of energy at full capacity.

The batteries supplied have been taken from prototype and engineering test vehicles. The batteries are simply removed from the Jaguar I-PACE and slotted into racks in on-site containers, helping to maximize the project’s sustainability.

Energy for 750 homes

JLR aims to supply enough batteries to store 7,5 MWh of energy – enough to power 750 homes for a day – by the end of 2023. Later, more containers could be created to house additional second-life batteries from used production vehicles.

Each BESS, linked to an advanced inverter to maximize efficiency and manage energy, can supply power directly to the national grid during peak hours and draw power out of the grid during off-peak hours to store for future use.

Decarbonizing the grid

Battery storage systems like this are critical to decarbonizing the grid, as they can deal with rapid peak demand and maximize solar and wind energy capture during sunny or windy conditions for use when needed. Second-life battery supply for stationary applications, like renewable energy storage, could exceed 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030.

Reusing vehicle batteries will create new circular economy business models for JLR in energy storage and beyond. Using the 70-80% residual capacity in EV batteries before being recycled demonstrates the full adoption of circularity principles.

Circular economy

Once the battery health falls below the required level for these second-life use cases, JLR will recycle the batteries so that raw materials can be reused as part of a truly circular economy.

Reuben Chorley, sustainable operations director at JLR: “Developing second-life battery projects like this is crucial to helping JLR adopt a new circular economy business model and drive us toward achieving carbon net zero by 2039.”

BESS

The BESS project is not the first JLR experiment with second-life batteries. Earlier, JLR partnered with Pramac, another energy specialist, to develop a portable zero-emission energy storage unit powered by second-life Jaguar I-PACE batteries.

Called the ‘Off Grid Battery Energy Storage System’ (ESS), Pramac’s technology, which features lithium-ion cells from Jaguar I-PACE batteries, supplies zero-emission power where access to the mains supply is limited or unavailable.

Johannesburg

Pramac directly reuses up to 85% of the vehicle battery supplied by Jaguar Land Rover within the storage unit, including modules and wiring. The remaining materials are recycled back into the supply chain.

An Off Grid Battery ESS is also deployed at Jaguar Land Rover Experience Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, to help the site cope with inconsistent power delivery from the mains.